It is not uncommon for a person to feel self-conscious of his or her body. During periods in their lives, men and women may undergo drastic bodily changes. For example, during a stressful period or a period of dieting and exercise, a person may gain or lose extreme amounts of weight. Weight gain may lead to unsightly lumps, bumps, and stretching of skin, which may even be visible to others if the person is wearing tight or dingy garments. Weight loss may lead to sagging skin, for example. In addition, individuals undergoing particular surgeries, such as bariatric surgery, may experience rapid weight loss.
The shape of a woman's body also changes dramatically during pregnancy, and even after pregnancy and considerable time and effort may be required to return to pre-pregnancy measurements. In particular, the pregnant woman's belly goes through several phases, expanding and retracting over a period of time, which is relatively short in comparison to some non-pregnancy related weight gains and losses. The woman's skin, in particular around the belly area, stretches during pregnancy often leaving unfavorable marks or lines, more commonly known as stretch marks. During or after pregnancy, a woman may also notice weight gain, stretch marks, sagging skin, and/or a dimpled or lumpy appearance in other areas of her body such as her buttocks, hips, and thighs.
Many men and women therefore seek to reduce the appearance of the sagging skin, dimples and/or lumps, and may also desire additional coverage of their bodies. In addition, many people use specialty skin products to prevent and reduce these stretch marks but are limited by when these types of products can be applied. Traditional garments can rub against the skin, causing specialty skin products to dissipate from the area in which it was applied, reducing the effectiveness of the product. Additionally, many of these specialty skin products contain ingredients that can deteriorate or discolor traditional garments or compression garments such as wraps worn around the belly during or post-pregnancy or after surgeries. People are limited to using these specialty skin products at home or in private where they can be nude.
During these dramatic changes to a woman's or a man's body, traditional tops, such as blouses or shirts may not provide total coverage of skin. For example, a growing pregnant belly may lift these tops up, thereby allowing for skin to be exposed between the bottom of the shirt and the waistband of bottoms, such as pants or a skirt. Also, as the pregnant belly grows, or as additional weight is added to the torso region, the belly is pulled downward, which can cause pain or discomfort for the person, especially in his or her lower back.
There is thus a need for addressing or ameliorating one of more of the disadvantages associated with the dissipation of specialty skin products, lumpy or dimpled appearance, and a lack of coverage or support for a belly (e.g., a pregnant woman's belly).